Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety created in 1882 in Geisenheim as a result of the selection work carried out by the Swiss botanist Hermann Müller, a native of the Canton of Thurgau. Long believed to be a cross between Riesling and Sylvaner, it is now recognised as the result of a cross between Riesling and Madeleine Royale; this history also gives rise to the historical synonym Riesling-Sylvaner. The leaf is medium-sized, generally pentagonal, trilobed or pentalobed, with a green surface and serrated edge. The bunch is small or medium-sized, cylindrical-pyramidal in shape, often winged and moderately compact; the berries, of medium size, are spherical in shape and have a yellow-green skin, which takes on more golden hues as they ripen.
Widespread in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and various parts of Central Europe, in Italy it finds its most characteristic expression in Trentino-Alto Adige, particularly in the Val di Cembra, the high hills around Trento and other mountainous areas of Trentino. The cool climate, altitude and marked daily temperature variations bring out its aromatic character. The wine has a straw-yellow colour with greenish highlights, and aromas of white flowers, elderflower, sage, aromatic herbs, citrus fruits and white-fleshed fruit, sometimes accompanied by a delicate spicy or musky note. On the palate, it is fresh, savoury, lively and pleasantly mineral, with a balanced structure and a lingering finish. Generally enjoyed young for its fragrance and immediacy, the finest mountain-grown examples can age elegantly for several years.
